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We were moving for a year
to Melbourne, Australia and a big vacation was due. It was
going to be our first visit to India after marriage. Though
Raj did not have too many days for a vacation, we wanted to
fit in one European city into our itenary. Our first choice
was Florence, Italy. But since we had to go to Miami to get
our visa, we changed plans at the last minute and chose Paris
instead. (The French consulate in Atlanta was convenient given
our crazy packing and winding up schedule) I was paranoid about
security after the Madrid bombings and the ransom threats.
But once in Paris, I forgot everything.
The
trip did not really start out all that good. We scrambled
into Atlanta airport with only 2 hrs to the flight. I was
singled out for a random security check that took all of
2 hrs and we just made it to our plan.
Landing at Charles De Gaulle, we lost baggage, paid exhorbitant
luggage storage charges, discovered that we'd forgotten to
take our hotel's phone number or directions, walked for over
a mile dragging our heavy carryon, .... We were mad at having
lost almost all of one precious day. But after a relaxing nap,
we felt ready to take on the city. I was expecting to find
an overrated city with its share of history, but the magic
of the city blew me away. We loved walking the streets, the
confusion of the metro, the awesome museams, ... everything.
We were given to understand
that the French people would not respond to any enquiries in
English and the only french we knew was 'merci'. But every
person we asked for directions responded marvellously, even
the chic lady who we asked directions to the Wagram metro.
We asked her directions in slow English and though not knowing
a single word of English, she gestured directions to us. It
appeared like she would've taken us down to the metro if we
hadn't understood her mimes!
The metro was confusing at
first and we took quite a few wrong trains. Climbing out of
a metro station into an open street with no trace of the activity
underground was a little unsettling. Added to it was our not-so-good
sense of direction and slightly confusing directions for first
timers. But we soon mastered it and were cruising along like
pros.
Day 1:
After a short visit to Arc D'Triumph and the Eiffle tower the first everning,
The Louvre was our first major visit. It was just mind boggling. We spent
the whole day there, but still saw through only about half its collection.
One painting I didn't see was 'The Lacemaker' by Vermeer. It was on my list,
but we were so tired at the end of the day and just didn't have the energy
to walk over to that part of the Louvre. We strolled over to the Eiffle Tower
again in the evening. It is to be seen to be believed. It has always looked
picturesque, but standing underneath it, you marvel not at the beauty, but
at the engineering that went into building it.
Day 2:
The next day, we overcame all sorts of train confusion to visit the Chateau
D'Versailles. Only there could I really understand the extent of the frustration
of the french people against their king and queen. The palace recks of decadent
luxury and that Lois was one vain person. The only disappointment was that
the Hall of Mirrors was being renovated and we could only see a 'double room'
of mirrors, rather than the hall. But what little we saw was enough to make
us hold our breath. Huge mirrors adorn the walls with great crystal chandeliers
dropping from the ceiling. The beautiful paintings on the ceiling gave our
necks quite a strain. There is a large planned garden just outside. Again,
we were too tired to walk all around and contented ourselves with having
our lunch there.
Day 3 & 4:
On our return, we nipped over to the Musey D'Orsay to catch the impressionists
and went over to the Notredame Cathedral to climb up the bell tower of the
fictionary Quasimodo. Apart from the views over Paris, Notredame is brilliantly
Gothic on the inside and is has detailed carvings on the outside. The quaint
little streets off Notredame offered souvinier shopping.
Our third day had us visiting
La Concorde, Des Invalides, taking a cruise on the river and
climbing the Arc De Triumph. We visited the George Pompidou
center for modern art, unfortunately did not understand any
of the art on display and kept giggling away all the time.
The last evening of our stay, we dined in one of the quaint
cafes on Champs Elyess and rolled on the grass under the Eiffle
Tower. There were still many many places that I wanted to visit.
Unfortunately, four days wasn't just enough for it all.
After the moderity of US,
the old world of Paris was a definite charm. The weather was
pleasant without any sudden changes in weather that we'd heard
about. I've had many people telling me that all European cities
are the same with more old buildings than one can see, but
I cannot imagine how one can ever get tired of admiring their
beauty. Each time I saw the Notredame, I found something new
to admire. Thanks to Ian for giving us invaluable tips on Paris.
Ramya and Nattu adviced us to take lots of Indian food, which
we did(thanks Sabitha) and we didnt go hungry or have to search
for vegetarian food.
Though it was our first trip
to India after 2.5 yrs, it was a very very short one. It was
hot and humid and I found that I didn't even want to look at
my makeup, not even lipstick! Our major intention in India
was to eat, eat and eat. And eat we did! While not tucking
away mom's yummy dishes, we were packing every available inch
in our stomachs with speciality food from the restraunts. Though
the stay was very short, we took two days off from relatives
to go to Kabini River Lodge, a safari about 1 hour from Mysore.
Kabini was beautiful and calm. We spotted a lot of deer, peacock,
few elephants and fresh pug marks of a tiger. I stayed back
for some more time to finish up shopping after Raj left. Wish
I could've spent some more time with my sister.
Well... until the next trip
- Melbourne, here I come!
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